AN AMMAN Valley woman is appealing to those with epilepsy to monitor their seizures following the death of her brother aged just 47.

Jen Morris, from Glanaman, lost her brother Michael in January after he suffered a fatal seizure at his home, despite being fit and healthy.

Michael was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was just 11 years old, but had managed his condition well into adult life and was “totally independent,” Jen said.

She added: “By the time Michael became an adult he hadn’t had a seizure in many years.

“At one point his doctor even suggested that he might be able to come off the medication, but he decided to keep on it as he was going through a very difficult time in his life.

“We were worried that he would end up having a seizure because of the stress he was under.

“He came home from work one day and he was due to meet his partner to have dinner, but he never showed up. Unfortunately he was found dead on the floor at home.”

Added Jen: “Michael was self-managing his condition and he was totally independent - he was a partner in an estate agency – and he didn’t need anyone checking up on him.

“He was fit and healthy and was playing football the night before he died.

“The coroner phoned us the next day to say what the cause of death was. I just don’t understand how there was never any warning about it - it came totally out of the blue.

“I’m desperately trying to raise awareness so that people know more about epilepsy, the risks, and the steps that can be taken to reduce the chances of something like this happening.”

Jen’s appeal comes during Epilepsy Awareness Month, which has seen her helping to raise awareness of the Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) Action charity, which cares for the bereaved and works with families and professionals to help save lives.

A useful free app to help people self-manage their condition has been developed by a collaborative in south east England, including Plymouth University; Cornwall Foundation NHS Trust; Royal Cornwall Hospital and SUDEP Action, and is available to download at sudep.org/epilepsy-self-monitor.

Hywel Dda University Health Board is also doing its bit to help people with epilepsy manage their condition at home by appointing a specialist Sapphire Nurse, Claire Larkin, on a permanent basis.

Claire runs supportive clinics across the health board for people with epilepsy, and provides home visits, care plans and new ways of working to keep people independent at home. She has recently started running a series of clinics including at Prince Philip Hospital, Llanelli, and Glangwili General Hospital in Carmarthen, where she works alongside a neurologist.

Kathryn Davies, Executive Director of Commissioning, Therapies and Health Science at Hywel Dda University Health Board, added: “Specialist nurses are such an important part of epilepsy care and Claire’s role is proving to be a huge support and help to people with epilepsy across the area.

“This enables the health board to improve our pathway of care for people with epilepsy, and provide more specialist care locally.”